Abandoned Property Ordinance in JC costing the city

There are 148 vacant buildings in Jefferson City that have accumulated on the list of abandoned buildings for Jefferson City.

50 of those have already been taken off the list after being rehabilitated or sold, but 98 remain.

Of the remaining buildings, there are 21 that one woman owns on East Capitol.

Jefferson City’s Planning and Protection Services said this has been an ongoing issue for about 20 years now.

They said each time someone doesn’t comply with the ordinance it costs the city money.

A few years ago, they adopted an ordinance that requires owners of abandoned buildings that have been vacant for 90 years to have certain maintenance done to them.

“The purpose was to get control of these properties and get the property owners to register them so that we could offer some encouragement on how to get those buildings back into the mainstream and sold,” said Janice McMillan, the Director of City Planning and Protection Services.

She said when these buildings go unoccupied for so long, it opens doors for break-ins.

There have also been instances of people harboring animals in these vacant buildings.

When they are broken into, it costs the city more money.

McMillan said if the owner doesn’t properly secure the building after a break in, the city will go in and secure it.